Robotics is a rapidly advancing field of technology. Today, for example, robots appear in manufacturing production lines, operating rooms, swimming pools, and warehouses. With the advance of this technology, robots are and will continue to perform more tasks that were one thought to be only performable by humans.
However, one factor limiting the development of mobile robots is their ability to move freely, absent motion restrictors such as tracks, guides, rails or the like, within a closed or working area, while providing complete coverage over portions of the closed or working area. Moreover, work over these desired or needed areas should be in an efficient manner, with some control over the travel path, so as not to be repetitious or random, and therefore, wasteful of energy.
Motion restrictive mechanisms, such as tracks, guides, rails or the like are disadvantageous, as they are unaesthetic, and expensive to install and maintain. Additionally, they present a workplace and/or pedestrian hazard, as they protrude from, or are indented, into floors or the like. This may lead to injuries, should a person not be mindful of them.
Another limiting factor is that robots for area coverage required boundaries, so as not to operate in undesired areas. These boundaries have been either tracks, rails, guides, or other motion restrictors, whose disadvantages have been detailed above, or markers, typically in the form of signs or other mechanisms, protruding from the ground, walls or ceilings, that also present safety hazards as detailed above. Moreover, these signs or other boundary mechanisms are expensive to install and maintain, as they must be precisely positioned and constantly watched by workers to maintain the integrity of the boundaries.
Additionally, it is desired to extend the uses of robots from commercial uses, as detailed above, to domestic uses. In doing so, the person who employs these domestic use robots will have increased free or leisure time, as they will be free from performing domestic tasks. One such robot is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,793, that is incorporated by reference herein.